Big Match Feature: Real Madrid v Chelsea
Real Madrid and Chelsea, the last two winners of the Uefa Champions League, meet in the knockout rounds for the third season running as their quarterfinal kicks off at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Madrid are looking to reach the Uefa Champions League semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons, while Chelsea have appeared in the last four eight times but only once in the last eight campaigns.
The Spanish club have won six of their eight games in this season's competition (D1 L1) while Chelsea have recorded five victories and two defeats – both away from home.
The winners of this tie will face Manchester City or Bayern München in the semifinal.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
The sides met at the same stage of last season's competition, Carlo Ancelotti's Madrid winning 5-4 on aggregate. The Spanish side won the first leg 3-1 at Stamford Bridge with Karim Benzema scoring twice in the first half (21, 24). Although Kai Havertz halved the Chelsea deficit five minutes before the break, Benzema completed his hat-trick in the first minute of the second period.
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea came back strongly at the Santiago Bernabéu, goals from Mason Mount (15) and Antonio Rüdiger – now of Madrid – (51) levelling the tie before Timo Werner gave the then holders the aggregate lead with 15 minutes left. Rodrygo's 80th-minute reply forced extra time, where Benzema applied the decisive strike in the 96th minute.
Tuchel's Chelsea were 3-1 aggregate winners against Zinédine Zidane's Madrid in the 2020-21 semifinals, goals from Werner (28) and Mount (85) securing a 2-0 second-leg victory at Stamford Bridge. The first leg in Spain had finished 1-1, Christian Pulišic's 14th-minute opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Benzema 15 minutes later.
The teams had met in only three fixtures before 2020 – in two Uefa finals which were both won by Chelsea. The second of those contests was the 1998 Uefa Super Cup in Monaco, when a Gustavo Poyet goal seven minutes from time at the Stade Louis II gave Uefa Cup Winners' Cup holders Chelsea a 1-0 victory against Madrid, who had qualified by winning the Uefa Champions League.
The English club had also come out on top in the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup final against Madrid in Piraeus. The first game finished 1-1, Peter Osgood's 56th-minute goal at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium cancelled out in the final minute by Ignacio Zoco.
Two days later in a replay at the same stadium, first-half goals from John Dempsey (31) and Osgood again (39) earned Chelsea their first European trophy despite Sebastián Fleitas pulling one back for Madrid 15 minutes from time.
FORM GUIDE
Real Madrid
Madrid are in the European Cup quarterfinals for the 38th time, more than any other side. Their record is W31 L6:
2021-22 Chelsea W 5-4 (3-1 a, 2-3 h aet)
2020-21 Liverpool W 3-1 (3-1 h, 0-0 a)
2017-18 Juventus W 4-3 (3-0 a, 1-3 h)
2016-17 Bayern München W 6-3 (2-1 a, 4-2 h)
2015-16 Wolfsburg W 3-2 (0-2 a, 3-0 h)
2014-15 Atlético de Madrid W 1-0 (0-0 a, 1-0 h)
2013-14 Borussia Dortmund W 3-2 (3-0 h, 0-2 a)
2012-13 Galatasaray W 5-3 (3-0 h, 2-3 a)
2011-12 Apoel W 8-2 (3-0 a, 5-2 h)
2010-11 Tottenham W 5-0 (4-0 h, 1-0 a)
2003-04 Monaco L 5-5 away goals (4-2 h, 1-3 a)
2002-03 Manchester United W 6-5 (3-1 h, 3-4 a)
2001-02 Bayern München W 3-2 (1-2 a, 2-0 h)
2000-01 Galatasaray W 5-3 (2-3 a, 3-0 h)
1999-00 Manchester United W 3-2 (0-0 h, 3-2 a)
1998-99 Dynamo Kyiv L 1-3 (1-1 h, 0-2 a)
1997-98 Bayer Leverkusen W 4-1 (1-1 a, 3-0 h)
1995-96 Juventus L 1-2 (1-0 h, 0-2 a)
1990-91 Spartak Moskva L 1-3 (0-0 a, 1-3 h)
1988-89 PSV Eindhoven W 3-2 (1-1 a, 2-1 h)
1987-88 Bayern München W 4-3 (2-3 a, 2-0 h)
1986-87 Crvena zvezda W 4-4 away goals (2-4 a, 2-0 h)
1980-81 Spartak Moskva W 2-0 (0-0 a, 2-0 h)
1979-80 Celtic W 3-2 (0-2 a, 3-0 h)
1975-76 Borussia Mönchengladbach W 3-3 away goals (2-2 a, 1-1 h)
1972-73 Dynamo Kyiv W 3-0 (0-0 a, 3-0 h)
1967-68 Sparta Praha W 4-2 (3-0 h, 1-2 a)
1966-67 Inter Milan L 0-3 (0-1 a, 0-2 h)
1965-66 Anderlecht W 4-3 (0-1 a, 4-2 h)
1964-65 Benfica L 3-6 (1-5 a, 2-1 h)
1963-64 AC Milan W 4-3 (4-1 h, 0-2 a)
1961-62 Juventus W 3-1 replay (1-0 a, 0-1 h)
1959-60 Nice W 6-3 (2-3 a, 4-0 h)
1958-59 Wiener Sport-Club W 7-1 (0-0 a, 7-1 h)
1957-58 Sevilla W 10-2 (8-0 h, 2-2 a)
1956-57 Nice W 6-2 (3-0 h, 3-2 a)
1955-56 Partizan W 4-3 (4-0 h, 0-3 a)
Madrid are making their 19th Uefa Champions League quarterfinal appearance, behind only Bayern München (21). They have won their last 10 ties at this stage of the competition – all against different opponents.
This is Madrid's 27th Uefa Champions League campaign, a record they share with Barcelona – and an unrivalled 26th in a row. All 27 have extended into the knockout rounds.
Madrid claimed their 14th European Cup in 2021-22. Ancelotti's side had finished first in group D on 15 points, winning five of their six games, before dramatic knockout wins against Paris Saint-Germain (0-1 a, 3-1 h), holders Chelsea (3-1 a, 2-3 h aet) and Manchester City (3-4 a, 3-1 h aet) led to a 1-0 final defeat of Liverpool.
That made Ancelotti the first coach to win four European Cups; he had been level with Bob Paisley and Zidane on three. The Italian is also the only coach to have taken a team to five finals.
Benzema, Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric all equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of appearing in five Uefa Champions League final victories.
Benzema was top scorer in the 2021-22 Uefa Champions League on 15 goals; 10 came in the knockout rounds, equalling Ronaldo's record in 2016-17, also for Madrid.
Madrid were also Spanish champions in 2021-22, their 35th Liga title overall and a second in three years. It was only the fourth time they had won the league and the European Cup in the same season, after 1956-57, 1957-58 and 2016-17.
Ancelotti's side have already claimed European silverware this season, goals from David Alaba and Benzema earning a 2-0 victory against Uefa Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the Uefa Super Cup in Helsinki on 10 August. It was Madrid's fifth Super Cup victory, equalling the competition record of AC Milan and Barcelona.
Madrid also won the Fifa Club World Cup for the fifth time in February, beating Al Ahly of Egypt 4-1 in the semifinal before a 5-3 defeat of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, Vinícius Júnior and Federico Valverde both scoring twice and Karim Benzema once.
The holders won their first three games in this season's Uefa Champions League, at Celtic (3-0) and at home to Leipzig (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1), but took only one point from their next two before finishing with a 5-1 home victory against the Scottish champions.
Madrid were again paired with Liverpool in the round of 16, a 5-2 first-leg win at Anfield – the first time they had scored five goals in successive Uefa Champions League matches since 1998 – preceding a 1-0 home win.
The Spanish side have won 13 of their last 22 home European games (D3 L6) and 12 of the most recent 15 (D1 L2).
Benzema, who scored three times in the round of 16 against Liverpool, has 19 goals in 25 Uefa Champions League games against English clubs, his largest tally against opposition from a single nation, including seven last season to overtake his 15 goals against German sides. His first-leg goals against Liverpool were his first of this season's competition. The Frenchman has scored 13 goals in his last eight knockout phase matches, finding the net in every game bar last season's final.
Benzema has equalled Lionel Messi's record of having scored in 18 consecutive seasons in the Uefa Champions League and is the first player to score in 19 successive calendar years in the Uefa Champions League (2005–2023).
Madrid's record against English clubs is now W22 D13 L16.
Madrid's record in two-legged knockout ties against English clubs is W12 L6. This season's win against Liverpool made it seven aggregate victories in the last nine, although their last two Uefa Champions League eliminations have both been by Premier League opponents – Chelsea in the 2020/21 semifinals and Manchester City in the 2019/20 round of 16.
Including the 2021-22 final, this is the seventh time Madrid have been paired with English opposition in their last eight Uefa Champions League knockout ties, and the fifth in a row.
The second-leg loss to Chelsea in last season's quarterfinals is one of only four Madrid have suffered at home to English clubs; their record otherwise is W11 D7, although this season's second-leg win against Liverpool was only their third in their last seven games against English visitors in Madrid (D2 L2).
Chelsea
Chelsea's record in European Cup quarterfinals is W8 L3:
2021-22 Real Madrid L 4-5 (1-3 h, 3-2 a aet)
2020-21 Porto W 2-1 (2-0 a, 0-1 h)
2013-14 Paris Saint-Germain W 3-3 away goals (1-3 a, 2-0 h)
2011-12 Benfica W 3-1 (1-0 a, 2-1 h)
2010-11 Manchester United L 1-3 (0-1 h, 1-2 a)
2008-09 Liverpool W 7-5 (3-1 a, 4-4 h)
2007-08 Fenerbahçe W 3-2 (1-2 a, 2-0 h)
2006-07 Valencia W 3-2 (1-1 h, 2-1 a)
2004-05 Bayern München W 6-5 (4-2 h, 2-3 a)
2003-04 Arsenal W 3-2 (1-1 h, 2-1 a)
1999-00 Barcelona L 4-6 (3-1 h, 1-5 a aet)
This is Chelsea's 12th Uefa Champions League quarterfinal, taking them joint fifth with Juventus in the all-time list and two behind Manchester United's English record.
This is Chelsea's fourth successive Uefa Champions League campaign and 19th overall, level with Arsenal and behind only Manchester United (24) among English clubs. They have twice won the trophy, in 2012 and 2021.
All but one of Chelsea's 19 Uefa Champions League campaigns have extended into the knockout rounds – the sole exception in 2012-13, when they became the only holders to fail to survive the initial group stage, although they had the consolation of going on to win the Uefa Europa League.
Having finished second in Group H behind Juventus last season, the Blues beat LOSC Lille home (2-0) and away (2-1) in the round of 16 before bowing out against Madrid.
This season, the Blues opened with a 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb, a result that prompted the departure of coach Thomas Tuchel. His replacement Graham Potter began his reign with a 1-1 draw at home to Salzburg before Chelsea embarked on a run of four straight wins, including home (3-0) and away (2-0) against AC Milan and, on Matchday 6, a 2-1 home victory against Dinamo that was their 100th in the Uefa Champions League – making them only the sixth club to reach a century.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 at Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 first leg, but recovered to progress thanks to a 2-0 second-leg success at Stamford Bridge, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz, a penalty, scoring the goals.
That loss in Dortmund was one of seven in Chelsea's last 38 Uefa Champions League matches (W24 D7).
It was also only Chelsea's fourth loss in their last 26 European away fixtures (W17 D5).
The London club were third in the Premier League in 2021/22, their highest finish since 2018/19, and finished as runners-up to Liverpool in both the FA Cup and the English League Cup, losing both goalless finals in a penalty shoot-out. They did, however, win both the Uefa Super Cup – beating Villarreal 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Belfast in August – and, for the first time, the Fifa Club World Cup, Havertz scoring the extra-time winner from the penalty spot in the final against Palmeiras of Brazil.
The win against Villarreal was Chelsea's first Uefa Super Cup victory since beating Madrid in 1998; they had lost in 2012, 2013 and 2019.
Chelsea's overall record against Spanish clubs is W20 D18 L11. Away it is W7 D9 L6.
Last season's first-leg defeat by Madrid is one of only five in Chelsea's last 33 matches against Spanish opponents overall (W12 D16). Before winning 4-0 at Sevilla on matchday 5 of the 2020-21 Uefa Champions League, the Blues had been victorious in only one of their previous 11 fixtures against Liga clubs, home and away (D6 L4); they have now won five of the last eight.
Chelsea have played 14 two-legged knockout ties against Spanish clubs (W6 L8).
Last season's win at Madrid made it just one defeat in Chelsea's last 15 matches against Liga clubs in Spain (W5 D9).
The London club have won only three of their 13 knockout games against Spanish teams in Spain (D5 L5), but have lost just one of the last eight there (W2 D5).
Links and trivia
Ancelotti was in charge of Chelsea between 2009 and 2011, winning the 2009-10 Premier League and FA Cup in his first season.
Rüdiger made 203 appearances and scored 12 goals in all competitions for Chelsea between 2017 and 2022, when he moved to Madrid. He was part of the side that won the Uefa Champions League, the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup in 2021, in addition to the 2018/19 Uefa Europa League and the 2018 FA Cup.
Eden Hazard was a Chelsea player between 2012 and joining Madrid in 2019, scoring 110 goals in 352 games in all competitions. He helped the club win Premier League titles in 2014-15 and 2016-17, the FA Cup in 2017-18 and the English League Cup in 2014-15, in addition to their victories in the 2013 and 2019 Uefa Europa League finals. The latter match, in which he scored twice in a 4-1 defeat of Arsenal, was his last for Chelsea.
Thibaut Courtois made 154 appearances for Chelsea between 2014 and 2018, when he moved to Madrid. He was also part of the Premier League-winning sides in 2014-15 and 2016-17, and the team that won the FA Cup in 2017-18 and the English League Cup in 2014-15.
Mateo Kovacic joined Chelsea from Madrid in 2018. He had signed for the Spanish side in 2015 and was an unused substitute in their Uefa Champions League final victories in 2017 and 2018 having missed out on the matchday squad for their 2016 final triumph. He did feature in their 2016 Uefa Super Cup defeat of Sevilla and was on the bench when Manchester United were beaten in the same competition a year later. Kovacic was also in Madrid's victorious squads in the 2016 and 2017 Fifa Club World Cup and the 2016-17 Spanish Liga and Super Cup.
Have also played in Spain:
João Félix (Atlético de Madrid 2019–23)
Kepa (Athletic Club 2014–18, Ponferradina 2015 loan, Valladolid 2015-16 loan)
Marc Cucurella (Espanyol youth 2006–12, Barcelona 2012–19, Eibar 2018-19 loan, Getafe 2019–21)
César Azpilicueta (Osasuna 2001–10)
João Félix failed to win any of his six games against Real Madrid with Atlético (D3 L3), and did not score in any of them.
Have also played in England:
Luka Modric (Tottenham 2008–12)
International teammates:
Luka Modric & Mateo Kovacic (Croatia)
Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni & N'Golo Kanté (France)
Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vázquez, Dani Ceballos & Kepa, César Azpilicueta, Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior & Thiago Silva (Brazil)
Antonio Rüdiger & Kai Havertz (Germany)
Enzo Férnandez's Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 Fifa World Cup final, Tchouaméni starting for France and Camavinga coming off the bench.
Kanté was in the starting line-up as France defeated Modric's Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup final. Kovacic was an unused substitute.
LATEST NEWS
Real Madrid
Madrid have won four of their last six games in all competitions, although they lost on Saturday, going down 3-2 at home to Villarreal despite twice going in front.
It was Madrid's second home defeat in five games in all competitions.
Vinícius Júnior scored Madrid's second goal on Saturday, making it two goals and three assists in his last three games in all competitions.
The other defeat in that run was a 2-1 loss at Liga leaders Barcelona on 19 March.
The Merengues had also gone down 1-0 at home to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on 2 March but turned the tie in stunning style with a 4-0 away win on 5 April, Karim Benzema scoring a second-half hat-trick after Vinícius Júnior's opener just before the interval.
That was the first time Madrid had scored four goals at the Camp Nou since 1963.
Madrid will play Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final at Seville's Estadio de La Cartuja on 6 May. It is their 40th final appearance and a first since 2013-14, when they lifted the trophy for the 19th time.
Benzema also scored a hat-trick in Madrid's 6-0 win at home to Valladolid on 2 April, their biggest Liga victory of the season.
The Frenchman has seven goals in his last five Madrid appearances.
Benzema's three goals against Valladolid took him on to 233 Liga strikes and one behind fourth-placed Hugo Sánchez (234) in the all-time Liga scoring charts. Lionel Messi (474 goals), Cristiano Ronaldo (311) and Telmo Zarra (252) make up the top three.
Rodrygo was also on target against Valladolid, his first league goal since 16 October.
Federico Valverde has 12 goals in all competitions this season, the second-highest total for a Madrid midfielder in the last decade behind James Rodríguez's 2014-15 total of 17. He has not scored for Madrid, however, since 18 February.
Madrid have earned 10 points from losing positions in the Liga this season, fewer only than Girona (12).
Madrid claimed the Fifa Club World Cup for a record-extending fifth time with a 5-3 victory against Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia on 11 February; they had beaten Egypt's Al Ahly 4-1 in the semifinals three days earlier.
Vinícius Júnior and Valverde both scored once in the semifinal and twice in the final; 21-year-old Sergio Arribas got his first senior Madrid goal in the semifinal, just 28 seconds after coming on.
Madrid beat Valencia 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal on 11 January, losing the final 3-1 to Barcelona four days later. Benzema scored in each game.
Ferland Mendy returned from a hamstring injury suffered against Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey on 26 January in the defeat at Barcelona on 19 March, coming on as a second-half substitute, but has not played since due to a calf problem.
David Alaba, who injured a hamstring at Liverpool in the round of 16 first leg on 21 February, returned as a halftime substitute in Austria's 2-1 Uefa Euro 2024 qualifying win at home to Estonia on 27 March; he started against Valladolid and Villarreal.
Eden Hazard came on against Valladolid, his first appearance since 2 January after recovering from tendinitis.
Chelsea
On 6 April Chelsea reappointed former manager Frank Lampard, who had been in charge from July 2019 to January 2021, as caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.
The Blues had parted company with Graham Potter on 2 April, the day after a 2-0 home loss against Aston Villa. It was Potter's 11th defeat in his 31 games in charge of the club, which brought only 12 wins.
Bruno Saltor took charge for Chelsea's next game, a 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool on 4 April.
Lampard's second spell in charge began with a 1-0 loss at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. It was Chelsea's seventh away defeat of the season in the Premier League, their worst record since losing eight in 2000/01.
That extended the London club's winless league run to four games (D2 L2), their longest sequence since a five-game stretch in January-February 2003. Indeed, a three-match run of victories including the round of 16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund accounts for all but one of Chelsea's wins in their last 18 matches in all competitions (D6 L8).
Chelsea have won only two of their last 11 Premier League matches (D5 L4).
The Blues have managed only four wins in the last 21 league games, losing nine.
Chelsea have failed to find the net in 13 of their last 22 matches.
Chelsea have only 12 goals in their last 18 matches, and have scored more than once in only four of their last 22 fixtures, managing only 14 goals in total in that sequence.
The London club were knocked out of both the League Cup (0-2) and FA Cup (0-4) by Manchester City, in the third round of each competition.
The FA Cup defeat by City was the first time Chelsea had failed to reach the last 32 of the competition since 1997/98. The London club have lost the final in each of the last three seasons.
N'Golo Kanté returned as a substitute against Villa, his first appearance since 14 August having undergone surgery on a hamstring injury in October. He subsequently started against Liverpool although he was absent on Saturday.
Thiago Silva has not played since suffering knee ligament damage in a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on 26 February.
César Azpilicueta was taken off with a head injury in a 1-0 home loss against Southampton on 18 February and has not played since.
Edouard Mendy suffered a fractured finger in training in early January and has not played since the subsequent operation – though he was an unused substitute in the last two games.
Armando Broja is not expected to play again this season after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in a friendly against Aston Villa on 11 December.
Mateo Kovacic scored both goals as Croatia won 2-0 away to Türkiye in a Uefa Euro 2024 qualifier on 28 March. João Félix was also on target for Portugal two days earlier in their 6-0 victory away to Luxembourg.
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